Ethan’s Mate (The Vampire Coalition #1)(7)
Author: J.S. Scott

She felt him release her neck and he ran a finger over the punctures lightly.

As she slowly came down from her erotic high, Ethan pulled her away from his shoulder wound and swiped his finger over the cut. It stopped bleeding, but the cut was still there.

She lay in his arms, satiated and breathless; realizing that at some point Ethan must have dissolved his shirt and slit his shoulder.

She had ingested his blood…and she had relished it. At that moment all she had wanted was to share every part of Ethan.

As she recovered her senses she realized that some of her aches and pains were gone. Had her body filled out a little? Brianna felt a strength pouring through her that she hadn’t felt since her illness.

“I feel stronger, Ethan.” As she pulled back to look at his face, her euphoria over her improved physical condition fled when she glimpsed his sweating, flushed face and wild, dark eyes. Alarmed and concerned, she whispered, “Ethan, talk to me. Are you okay?”

He was trembling and his eyes caressed her naked body with a hunger that was anything but normal.

Brianna pulled the covers over her nudity and grabbed his face with both hands, forcing him to meet her eyes. “Ethan, talk to me. Tell me that you’re okay,” she demanded, her voice filled with anxiety.

He stared into her eyes and drew a deep breath. He let it out shakily as he answered slowly, “I’m fine, Brianna.”

“You are not fine.” She kept her hands on his head, forcing him to meet her eyes. He lifted one of her hands from his face and kissed the palm.

“You’re my mate, Brianna,” he answered in a low, tortured voice. “It’s difficult not to take you.”

“Then take me, Ethan. Or let me help you.” Her hand slipped down to his jeans, stroking his erect shaft over the cotton material. She could feel the immense size and hardness of him and she wanted him desperately. She wanted him inside her, stretching her, filling her.

“No!” Ethan gripped her wrist gently and moved her hand away. “Not now, Brianna. You’re not strong enough. Vampires are extremely sexual creatures with their mates.

“Then why did you do that?”

He kissed her softly on the forehead. “To make it easier for you, love.” He shot her a devious grin. “It was easier, wasn’t it?”

“Oh, Ethan,” she sighed, not knowing whether to be exasperated or amused. She carefully wrapped a sheet around her body and snuggled into his chest. His arms came around her protectively, sheltering her. She felt so… safe.

She absorbed the feeling, enjoying the moment… until her peace was disturbed in a rather startling manner.

Chapter 5

“Hello!” A cheerful, deep voice emanating from the end of her bed made Brianna jump. If Ethan hadn’t had her held steady in his arms, she would have been five feet in the air.

Her eyes shot to the end of the bed. Three very large men stood there, all with varying expressions.

The one speaking was smiling.

One was brooding.

The other wore a dreamy expression.

The fact that they all looked suspiciously like the man lying beside her couldn’t be a coincidence. She had seen these men in Ethan’s memories. Rory, Liam and Nathan! His brothers! Although she couldn’t tell which one was which, she assumed the cheerful one and the dreamy one were the twins. All of them looked alike, but those two were nearly identical in appearance.

“What are you two doing?” The cheerful one. “We’re Ethan’s brothers. I’m Rory. This is Nathan.” He motioned to the brooding one. “And that’s Liam.” He waved a hand at the lost looking one.

Ethan didn’t answer but she could see him getting red in the face and he was clenching his jaw. How did you smooth over the fact that they had popped into her bedroom uninvited? “Ethan and I… we were just… we… we were just talking and getting to know each other.” Okay…she knew it sounded lame as she stuttered the words. For God’s sake… they were in bed and she was completely naked. What the hell was she supposed to say?

“Oh, that’s good. But I really hoped you were… oof!” Rory bent over as Liam slammed his elbow into his gut. Liam shot Rory a sharp glance as Nathan just smirked, a wicked expression on his face.

Brianna shot a nervous glance at Ethan. His jaw was clenching harder as he rumbled. “Get… the… hell… out!”

Brianna wrapped the sheet around her securely and slid off of the bed. “It’s very nice to meet you. But this is not a very good time. Maybe you could just give us a few minutes to get dressed and we can chit chat.” One tiny woman shooing three men twice her size toward the door was an amusing sight. Amazingly… they men went. “Help yourself to anything in the kitchen,” she called as she slammed the bedroom door behind them.

Brianna planted her hands on her hips and raised a brow at Ethan. “I think we need to talk to your brothers about their manners.”

“I’m going to kill them all!” He stood and clothed himself in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt with his magic. He dressed Brianna in similar attire.

Brianna wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. “You know you aren’t going to kill them. They’re your brothers.”

She felt him shrug. “We try to kill each other all the time. But this time I’m really going to do it. They know better than to do something like that with a vampire who’s just found his mate.”

She could tell he was calming as she stroked his back. “Maybe we should just talk and get to know each other.”

He sighed. “Okay… but then I get to kill them.”

“No killing today, Ethan.” She shuddered. “I’ve already seen you in action once today and that’s enough.” She pulled back to survey his face.

He looked recovered from his injuries, but disappointed that he couldn’t kill his brothers and she bit back a smile.

“You’re going to be sorry you told them to help themselves.” The corners of his mouth turned up in a small, knowing smile.

“Why? I don’t mind?”

“You will,” he told her in an ominous voice as he took her by the hand and led her through the door to meet his brothers.

******

Ethan stretched as he awoke from his day sleep. He immediately sought his mate but she wasn’t sleeping beside him.

It had taken Brianna five days of ingesting his vampire blood to regain her normal strength and to build up the added strength she would need for their mating. His was the blood of an elder and it was powerful, but Brianna had been severely weakened.